Nurse Of Year Moore Serves As
Inspiration For Her Colleagues

For Jane Moore, the first Wayne County Nurse of the Year Award recipient, nursing wasn't something she considered her dream job when she began college at Ohio State University.

JANE MOORE, the first recipient of the Wayne County Nurse of the Year Award, says she did not realize when she first started college that nursing would be her dream job. Mike Schenk photo

It wasn't until she got her first job working in a hematology unit at University Hospital in Columbus that she really began to love the profession.

Moore said being a nurse was not her childhood dream. It was only because of a lack of career options that she chose nursing.

"In the 1960s, there were not many choices for women," she said."Teacher, nurse, hair beautician. I didn't want any of those, so I thought I'd give nursing a try."

Moore gave it a try, and graduated from OSU in 1964. She took her first job that same year.

That was 35 years ago, and aside from an 11-year break to raise four children, all grown now, Moore has been nursing ever since.

"It was all right," she said of her college days, where she was learning to be a nurse. "I got my first job and I really enjoyed it. It changed the way I looked at it."

It didn't hurt that she met her husband, Bob, in the hematology unit. "His father was a patient," Moore said.

A Wooster High School graduate, Moore made her way back to Wooster with her husband and children after working and living in Columbus for 14 years. She has been a nurse at Wooster Community Hospital for the last 21 years.

"It was nice to come back," Moore said, after living in the state's capital for so long. "It's a different atmosphere than Columbus."

According to the two letters nominating Moore for the nurse of the year award, she has been described as the essence of nursing since she has returned to Wooster.

"... [O]ne that fosters or advises; one skilled or trained in caring for the sick or infirm ... [O]ne that is knowledgeable, compassionate, caring and giving much more than one receives," said a letter from Joan Gaubatz, obstetrical department spokesperson, describing the traits of a great nurse.

"This 'nurse' is Jane Moore."

Moore said she works only part-time in the OB department, whenever she is needed. She mainly works with cardiac patients in the telemetry unit.

But those are only the jobs she is paid for. Moore also has worked with Hospice of Wayne County for six years, along with many other charities, including People to People Ministries' Christmas Toys for Kids and Back to School Clothing campaigns.

"Volunteering is second nature to Jane," the letter from Gaubatz said.

That nature, Moore says, comes from her church, St. Mary Catholic Church of Wooster.

"The spirit of volunteerism there" is very strong, she said. "They go from school age to retired. They help when needed into their 70s and 80s.

"It's a very giving community," she said. "And I'm inspired by that."

Moore has turned that inspiration into a life of helping others, and while she says she doesn't understand why she won the award, her career and the nominating letters easily show why.

"Any hour of the day, Jane lights up every room with her mere presence," Gaubatz said. "Her smile is priceless. Her unselfishness is monumental.

"Jane Moore is what nursing is all about."

Liz Martin, coordinator of WCH hospital education and one of the award's organizers, agreed.

"We are pleased as nurses in general that she was chosen," Martin said.

Yet even with the glowing letters of support, Moore remains modest.

"I was surprised even to be nominated," she said. "That my co-workers thought enough of me to give me the award means a lot.

"There are so many nurses that do so much for the community, I see this award as a tribute to them."